inspired by Ruth from the Raincloud & sage blog, i decided to share my thoughts on slow fashion, because i feel like it is too important to just let pass again. (and also because it is really interesting to read and see the stories of others concerning this subject!)

last year i just started following the Fringe Association blog and instagram feed when Karen Templer introduced Slow Fashion October. i was already following the Fair Wear Fridays, so the thought of “fair fashion” has also been lingering in my mind for a while. but it wasn’t until Slotober that i realized my behaviour as a maker also is a form of consumption. (that also really “clicked” when i finally sorted out my yarn stash - read more about that here)

Slotober was so inspiring to me, that i decided to create a more “mindful” wardrobe from then on. i set my first steps into dressmaking and decided to buy more second hand clothing and shoes. collecting and creating this wardrobe is a challenge, but it’s happening. the key questions i ask myself before i make or buy are: do i really need this? will this piece last for a while? does it fit my style and will it go with my other clothes?

i still buy new clothes because i simply can’t see myself making my own jeans, shoes, coat,… when i buy new things i try to go for quality over quantity and choose fair/eco brands if i can. (which isn’t always easy to be honest, because not a lot of shops offer those brands and i don’t like ordering clothes online.) resisting buying new clothes is honestly the hardest part for me. i’m used to mindlessly buying clothes (not that i go shopping every month, but when i went shopping i never really thought about it a lot and just bought whatever i liked), so it’s hard not to fall into that habit again. 

my collection so far.

the aspect of making my own clothes is equally challenging. i have developed some sewing skills over the years (nothing spectacular but i think i’ve got the basics covered) and making my first dress ever was a big milestone for me! (and, more importantly, it turned out to be a dress that i love to pieces!) as for knitting: i’m currently knitting a lot of baby things because my sister is expecting, but i definitely want to knit more things for myself. i also cleaned out my favorites in ravelry, because not every interesting project is one that i would love to wear. for example: i love the look of lace, but i’m not the type to wear a shawl with a lot of lace. and why put all that time and effort into something you won’t wear anyway? 

the inari tee dress i made last year

the inari tee i made some time ago

another aspect of being mindful about clothes is mending. i’m bad at throwing away things, so mending the holes in our socks and sweaters has always been logical to me. i’m still having trouble finding ways to mend bigger holes on visible places in sweaters though, so these usually end up as workwear (the same goes for jeans). worn sheets and towels or really old clothes end up as rags for multiple uses, after i cut off the buttons and other useable items. ;)

my biggest motivation behind all this is mostly environmental and humanitarian, but it also fits into the bigger picture of consuming less and being more mindful about the stuff we have. this drawing by Sarah Lazarovic sums it up quite well.

if you'd like to read (or see) more on the subject, check out the hashtag #slowfashionoctober on instagram or go visit Karen's blog! 

did you follow Slotober and do you have plans or thoughts on the subjects? don't hesitate to comment! :)

♥

hello hello! :)

just so you'd know: this blogpost you're about to read is longgggg overdue. i cannot understand why i haven't blogged about this finished project sooner, because it was one of my bigger WIP's and i was super thrilled to finally have it finished.

last year in march, Sandra from the Cherry Heart blog organised a crochet-a-long, a blanket-a-long to be precise. i joined in with my hexagon blanket, a project i started 5 years ago.

 

so here it finally is! i'm super proud of this blanket, i still love the colour combination so much. when i purchased the yarn i had no idea yet of what kind of blanket i wanted to make, i just randomly put some colours together that i liked and started crocheting some different hexagons when i got home. 

 

i ended up with a hexagon shape from a book, i modified the pattern just a little bit to get a more "solid" hexagon and i just started crocheting! it was my to-go project for four years, i took it everywhere: on the train, in the car, in the garden, in front of tv,...

 

when i was finishing the blanket, i realised i also needed half-hexagon shapes to fill up the edges, because i didn't like a zig-zag border. so i made up a pattern for a half hexagon. (by this time i had already run out of coloured yarn so all the half-hexagons are white). i found a pattern for a subtle border online and slightly modified it. i wanted a bigger border but unfortunately i ran out of white yarn...

now that this blanket has been in use for over a year, i can say that i'm still really happy with it!

my boyfriend loves it too and doesn't want any other blanket in our sofa. :) looking back, i only wish i would've made it a bit bigger!

  the yarn i used is Annell Rapido. i'm quite pleased with this yarn, it's softer than most acrylic yarns anyway and it comes in lots of lovely colours. but over the years i became more and more of a yarn snob and i think, if i were to make another blanket, i would choose wool or at least a wool blend.

so, that's all about my hexagon blanket! i wish i could share more details about the pattern, my modifications, the exact colourways and so on, but i was bad at keeping notes... better luck next time. :)

♥

sooo, here's the first blogpost in a series called "things i've made last year but haven't posted yet" ;) 

 

 

i really needed a new pair of mittens as my kochoran mittens were completely worn out after 5 years of good use. i mended the thumb several times, which is fine, but they were starting to get thinner and thinner, and too cold for winter. i ordered some Drops Nepal online (to get free shipping on the yarn winder i wanted to buy, we all know how that goes), in a gorgeous grey-blue-ish colour.

for the mittens i used the staff mittens pattern, because i loved the cable/seed-stitch combinaton. i really liked this pattern, although i would use a different thumb inset if i were to knit them again. i knit them a bit too big so there was room for a fleece lining.

 next up was a hat. i wanted something that matched the cable/seed-stitch from the mittens. i considered several patterns but decided on the Peasleeville hat, which had an interesting construnction (you knit the cabled headband first, then pick up stitches for the hat), and a more complex cable pattern... 

 

 to make sure i wouldn't have to frog or start over, i worked with life lines after each cable repeat. the cable part was the hardest part, obviously, and after that i finished it in a couple of evenings. 

   i made the hat a bit longer to get a slouchy effect, which hides my bun a bit. and, for extra warmth, i also hand-sewed a fleece lining in the hat. the color of the fleece is not exact, but who cares? :)

 

 i must say, i'm not 100% convinced of how the hat looks on me. it's just not entirely "my style"... i think i have yet to find the perfect hat pattern for me and my ever-lasting bun. i'm tempted to give headbands a try but i'm afraid my head will be cold. has anyone got any experience with that?

but, all in all, i'm still very pleased with how this set turned out. :)

as usual, i want to start the new year by looking back on the previous year. :) i was quite productive in 2015 if i may say so myself. i wasn't the most active blogger the last year, so there are some things you haven't seen yet..

in 2015 i made lots of baby things, because i became an aunt and good friends of ours had their first baby and i wanted to give handmade presents. because of those, i rediscovered how much i like sewing which resulted in 2 other projects: the beginning of a hexagon english paper piecing quilt with fabric scraps (pictured in the upper right corner) and my first handmade dress *ever* (pictured in the last corner). i also finally finished my crochet hexagon blanket, by participating the Cherry Heart blanket-a-long on instagram! that's one big WIP tackled!!  i also made mittens and a matching hat, and 2 pairs of socks. and some other small things like baby hats, scarves, a teenie tiny cardigan and a baby bib.

as for my creative goals for 2016, i'm not going to set big or hard goals. all i really want to do is finally finish my stashbusting picnic blanket. 2016 is looking like a promising, but busy year, so i just want to go with the flow and see what happens. although it would be good if i work up some of my fabric stash with some smaller projects (not to mention i already bought fabric for a new dress and 2 t-shirts, woops). :)

what are your crafty plans for 2016? i'd love to hear!
i also want to wish you all the best for 2016, and say thank you for your support.

may your year be happy & crafty!

♥

also check out

my creative year 2014

my creative year 2013

my creative year 2012

my creative year 2011

first of all thank you for all your reactions on my last blogpost about destashing. :) 

before i decided on letting go of my stash, i was destashing in another form: knitting (and crocheting) for charity!

somewhere in spring i discovered a knitting group on ravelry, "de breimadammen".

they knit for several charities (blankets for senegal, romania or homeless people,..), but one specific charity caught my attention: babynest. this small organisation collects all kinds of baby stuff (second hand but also handmade) for mothers and young families in need. a perfect charity to knit for, since i love making baby things!

 when i told my mom about this she was really excited as well, the picture above shows what the two of us made last year. most of it is her work to be honest: she made 4 sweaters, 2 scarves and 4 baby hats. i made a granny square blanket, a scarf and a baby bib.

the granny square blanket was so much fun to make, i made big blocks which i joined with white and finished with a light blue border.

i also really liked this baby scarf.

i remember my grandma made similar scarves for my grandpa. :)

and then i also made a baby bib with 100% cotton yarn. although this was fun to knit, to be honest i wouldn't make it again, sewing a baby bib is so much quicker and i think also more practical. 

a couple of weeks ago i met up with Annie (one of the nice ladies who is part of the organisation "de breimadammen") to hand over our bag with handmades (and also part of my yarn stash ;)). we didn't have much time to talk to her but we definitely talked long enough to convince me that these kind of charities are GOLD. i admire her enthousiasm and all the efforts she put into this... so so so inspiring. :)

wishing you happy holidays by the way!

♥

more info:
ravelry group "de breimadammen"
baby nest facebook page
my project page on ravelry (with more photos of everything we made)

for a while now, i wanted to write about having a yarn stash. i don't know about you guys but i had (until quite recently) a HUGE yarn stash. i collected so much yarn over the years. it came from everywhere, from sales, from the fleamarket, donated by other knitters and family, from webshops (because ordering just that one skein is so silly!),...

my big yarn stash has been bothering me for a while now, i already wrote about it in this post about my "crafty resolutions" in january 2014. i was actually doing really good at following my own rules, this year i bought almost no new yarn and what i bought is already processed and in use.

 some time ago, when i was home alone one evening, i started knitting a scarf with some stash yarn and it seemed like i couldn't make anything nice out of it. a case of wrong project, wrong yarn. i showed it to my boyfriend and he simply said "why don't you stop wasting your time and just make some pretty things instead?"

that one sentence got me thinking, because it's so true. i was spending so much time trying to make something nice out of yarn that i didn't really love, just to get it out of my stash and so that i would feel less guilty when i did buy some new yarn. i also learned that no matter how nice the pattern, if you don't like the colour or the yarn anymore, there is no feeling of accomplishment and pride when finishing your project.

so... one evening, we got all of my boxes out of the basement and laid everything on our coffee table. (and next to it and on the couch because it couldn't possibly all fit on the coffee table.) we made 3 piles: "keep", "donate" and "sell".

i kept the really nice or expensive yarns, and all the yarns that i really loved. i donated most of my acrylics to charity (my acrylic-days are over!), and sold the rest online. i was worried that i would never get rid of it all, but only one day later there was a nice lady who wanted it all. woo-hoo! and now my stash fits in one basket. i repeat, ONE basket.

 

left: box of sold yarn. right: my new stash!
 

i never thought destashing would feel as liberating as it did. going trough my stash now is about discovering real treasures of yarn and being excited about making something with it.

i'm now planning on doing the same with my fabric stash and also with my clothes.
and, ultimately, with all of our belongings. because why do we need so much stuff?

 now i'm really curious about your thoughts on having a stash.
does having a stash work for you? does it scare you to destash?



you can find some inspiring reads about destashing here:
Fringe Association: Q for you (read the comment section)
No stash girl

woohoo, i finished my gladys socks! i was so thrilled to finally have them off the needles and on my feet, because i think they might be my prettiest pair yet. :) 

 aahh! happy feet! and picture overload!

let me tell you, this pattern is pure genious! i love how the main stitch pattern goes all the way down the heelflap and i also liked how the sock decreases were divided to give a nice, rounded toe. something to remember!

  i couldn't be happier with my choice of yarn, using a neutral, light-coloured yarn really shows off the stitches. (i used Regia 4-ply Uni in light grey)

 the on-my-feet pictures actually don't show how lovely the stitch patterns are, so here are some of my instagram snaps! 

next thing i'm up to... cables! :) 

wishing you all a lovely sunday night!

♥

i already blogged about a good deal of handmade baby stuff this year and i'm afraid it's not over just yet. :) good friends of ours had a beautiful baby girl called toni, which was the perfect reason to get behind my sewing machine and make some handmade presents!

 

  this was so much fun from beginning to end! i had the best time picking out fabric with my boyfriend and thinking about what to make... i decided to make bunting and a blanket. it all started with the soft hot pink fleece blanket i found in the store (because those are usually a bit cheaper than buying fleece it in the fabric store - and this one was sooo soft!) and we just picked out fabrics that matched. which ended up in a girly but happy and bright colour palette, with polka dots and flamingo's. :)

 

 the letters on the bunting are a fun detail: toni's father is a graphic designer and was my closest colleague at my previous job, so i knew he'd appreciate it if i used the exact type as used on the birth card he designed. ;)

we also found a cute baby summer top, which was a perfect match with the blanket & bunting, et voila, baby gift done! :) it does look a bit excessively colour-coordinated now i see it together like this, woops! guess i'm obsessive like that. ;)

♥

the last pair of socks i finished were these Simple Trekking socks knit with (hah, surprise) Trekking XXL yarn. this yarn was lying in my stash for quite a while, and i thought it was about time i used it!

i chose the Simple Trekking socks pattern because i wanted something that was simple enough to show off the yarn, easy enough for some mindless knitting and interesting enough to not get really, really bored. ;)

 the pattern is quite straight-forward but features a broken rib detail on the toes and on the cuff. it also has a reinforced heel, which definitely feels quite durable and sturdy and is fun to knit also!

 i must say, i was happy and relieved to finish these, because i'm not too crazy about them! for a while i was thinking about starting again with a different pattern, but then i realised my biggest problem with these is mainly because of the yarn. the colours are quite masculine and not very cheerful.. i'm glad i pushed trough, because they fit great, they  really are super comfy! (hurray for ribbed socks)

so nevertheless, another warm and comfy pair was added to my sock drawer! 

♥

(my apologies for the not-so-great photos, but the weather wasn't that great when i took them... )

we just returned from lovely holidays in Normandy, France! although we didn't have the best weather, we did have a great time and came home well rested and very impressed by the nature and WOII history of the places we visited. 

 but vacation just wouldn't be vacation if it didn't involve a good amount of knitting. ;) i started a new pair of socks again couple of months ago, and took the second sock with me to finish. so now i have again a finished pair to add to my sock drawer!

 

  the colours went surprisingly well with my new green t-shirt...

 ... but also with the fishing nets in the harbour...

 ... or the nature at Omaha Beach!

  i also took a new project with me, because this pair was almost finished and i printed out a gorgeous pattern weeks ago... :)  so in the last couple of days of our holidays i started knitting on a pair of Gladys socks! something a bit more challenging and with a solid yarn for a change! don't you just love the chevrons?

there's a post about my finished pair of socks coming up real soon.. but first there is some post-holidays washing and ironing to do... :) how did you spend your vacation? was it good? do you also take your crafty projects along? do tell me in the comment section! :) 

♥